President's Day: How does the White House compare to the typical home purchased?

President’s Day: How does the White House compare to the typical home purchased?

Posted in Economist Commentaries, by Brandi Snowden, Research Survey Analyst on

In the spirit of President’s Day we can use data from the 2014 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers to see how the typical home differs from the White House.

Typical Home Purchased in the U.S.

• 84% of buyers purchased a previously owned home, with 79% of buyers choosing a detached single-family home.
• Looking at first-time and repeat buyers, both also purchased detached single-family homes more often with 75% of first-time buyers and 81% of repeat buyers.
• 50% of all buyers purchased their home in a suburb/subdivision. The typical detached single-family home purchased was 2,000 square feet.
• Homes purchased also had a median of 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and was built in 1993.
• Of all buyers, the expected length of tenure in the home purchased was 12 years.

The White House

• The White House was built in 1792, and in comparison is located in an urban or central area.
• The White House contains 6 levels, has 132 rooms, including 35 bathrooms.
• It also includes features such as: a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, billiard room, movie theatre, and bowling alley.
• While tenure in the median expected tenure in home lasts around 12 years, in the White House the expected tenure is between 4 and 8 years.

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